BRANDON — A town firefighter is facing criminal charges after Brandon Police say he set his own car on fire in an effort to defraud his insurance company.

Jeremiah M. Shaw, 31, of Brandon, has been issued a criminal citation to appear in Rutland criminal court in October to answer to charges of arson, burning to defraud and insurance fraud.

Brandon Police were called at 11 p.m. on Aug. 12 to a car fire on Route 7 near the intersection of Wood Lane in town for a reported car fire.

At the scene, Shaw told police he was driving when he noticed flames in the back of the vehicle and pulled over. Before fire crews arrived, the car was fully engulfed in flames.

Further investigation by police in town and the Vermont State Police Arson Unit indicated that the fire didn’t start in the manner that Shaw described.

Police say he later confessed to burning the vehicle to obtain insurance money.

Brandon Fire Chief Roman Wdowiak said Wednesday that his department was cooperating with police and had taken “appropriate steps in accordance with the law” regarding Shaw’s status at the fire department. He did not say explicitly whether Shaw remained an active member of the department.